A time-out? Did Josh have Greyson on the ropes? Was he stalling for time to let the challenger's Mega Evolved Absol to succumb to the venom? Violet spotlights brightly illuminated Josh, putting him on the spot as his Absol continued to cough.

He did not make a snap judgment, pondering the actions he had taken not just against Greyson, but in his other matches. Against MATIAS SILPH , he had overcome an Ultra Beast in combat. Against Melody Miro , a mythical Pokémon. Against Michael Navidson , Shuwen, a Pokémon very few could. And against Greyson Connors , he had shown that though he used speed as a weapon, it was not his only weapon.

As Raikiri's purring reverberated throughout the battle court inside the Elite Four chamber, and as Twilight keeled over from Ghost's parting venom, Josh gave his response.

"I can't say it was perfect. No one's perfect; if you expected flawless combat from candidates, then you would never bestow that rank upon anyone. Being a Champion, though, is not about being perfect. It is about being a leader. One that Hoenn can rely on. My loss in our last encounter has clearly taught me much, if our match has stayed this close the entire time. To your question, I answer this: yes."

The gauntlet had been thrown against the IRON VALIANT. Josh's experience with the paradox Pokémon was terrifying; it was one of the first ones he encountered all the way back in the first battle of Dewford, when Michael Navidson had just taken over the Gym. It decimated his team, even felling Raikiri.

That wouldn't happen today.

He had grown tall in the last year. He had learned that speed was not just an offensive tool, but a defensive one. He had mastered his signature Z-Move with not one, not two, but six different Pokémon. With the match effectively being turned into a survival card, giving Josh an alternative win condition, he had to hold off on the attack as long as possible. Little did he know there were small fractures in Raikiri's QUICKINIUM-Z. Those stresses would be agitated here if the crystal were to be used, and would ultimately contribute to the outcome of his match with the Warrior.

"A survival test it is."

The PSYCHO CUT sliced across the thundercat's face, leaving him dazed and on the defensive. He would not have time to parry a follow-up attack; all he could manage was to flee it in the burst of AGILITY Raikiri had become known throughout Mauville for. Speed would help in winding down the clock in this one-possession game. Josh and his Zeraora just needed to find the play that would prevent the game-winning touchdown from being scored!

Zero's QUARK DRIVE hummed as loudly as Verte's churning wings, the ELECTRIC TERRAIN bestowing equal, if not greater speed upon the Iron Valiant. As swift as Raikiri was, it was apparent to Josh that the paradox would outlast the big cat, if not overtake him entirely. Their window to strike with a volley of ELECTRO BALLS was closing. They had to act now.

The electric-type had run out the clock as much as he could without expending too much energy. Now the real battle began; the challenger did his best to keep one eye on the match and one eye on the clock as its tenths ticked down. His flurry of projectiles would be augmented by both the ELECTRIC TERRAIN and his great speed.

In the moment the Pokémon took to aim the swift attack, a blinding flurry of NIGHT SLASHES raked across Raikiri. Blood spattered about the battle court, the Zeraora hissing loudly and causing Josh to wince. Running was no longer an option, and the red-and-yellow feline looked like he could fall at any moment. His Z-GLOVE glinting, the challenger prepared to make his last stand.

As cutting as the master trainer's words were, they were true. Josh knew they were true, too; if running away was all the Gym Leader could do, he wouldn't have made a very good Gym Leader. As much as they sliced into his ego like a Gallade's Psycho Cut, he stood strong, tuning out the verbal abuse.

While a survival win was what Josh preferred, it was not his only reason for running away. Chasing down a pursuer took stamina. Stamina use that Josh banked on raising the Iron Valiant's reaction time. In the timetable of a challenger with the title Master of Faster, every millisecond mattered. Raising his Z-GLOVE, a brilliant yellow light surged from both the crystal embedded in it and the QUICKINIUM-Z Raikiri carried. Flicking his wrists and pulsing his knees in a Z-POSE not unlike how one would spur a mount to top speed, he did not make the callout he usually did; instead, he let the Zeraora's Z-MOVE: HYPERSONIC PLASMA CHARGE speak for itself.



The electric-type met the paradox's blades with claws that danced with lightning, a sonic boom ravaging Greyson's quarters from the invisibly fast pace of the passing attack. Were the metallic Pokémon able to withstand the triple threat of the sonic slash, a line of lightning bolts raining upon it in his wake, and the aural blast, the Zeraora would be easy pickings to finish off, recovering from his exertion.

"Now how about you admit I had been leading you into a trap this entire time," Josh boldly declared with lightning in his eyes.

To those who didn't understand Josh's battling style, it may have appeared that he leaned into the hypersonic attack as a win condition. As powerful as it was, it required not only split second timing from its wielder and a level of intensity not many Pokémon were capable of, but also the same level of split second timing from the trainer. Even so, the Iron Valiant stood, blade at the ready to deliver the finishing blow to the now-reeling Zeraora, who hit the floor not long after time was called.

The callout boomed as much as the sonic burst in the Zeraora's wake. It was clear that the Iron Valiant was the stronger of the two, having withstood the most powerful attack in Josh's arsenal. He withdrew the Zeraora and accepted the handshake.

"That was thrilling. A lot of back and forth. Thank you for the match today. I still have to schedule with kyle lopez - it's been a bit of a hassle finding a date that works for us both. You planning on entering Vital City in January? Maybe we can have our rubber match there."